A presentation , like any performance, requires its practitioners to know their stuff; pull out all the stops; make contact with anyone watching and listening and quit while the going is good.

When I'm asked how organisations can create devoted customers, I reply "just keep doing great things to them". It seesm obvious, but creating 'devoted' customers is about consistently doing things that make customers feel valued.

You may think you're a good listener, but how often do you really listen before reacting? How long does it take until you jump in with a quick solution or retort?

Many people regard all thinking as problem-solving. It isn't. Powerful, useful new ideas can equally emerge when no obvious problem is apparent. That's what creative thinking is all about.

Is it just me, or are people increasingly disinclined – or unable – to just say "NO". This behaviour appears to have become a social and cultural phenomenon which has permeated throughout our lives, both at work and outside it.

Not all business-speak is jargon – some of it can even be useful. The trouble is, there's so much nonsense spoken in workplaces these days that it's easy for valuable concepts to be tarred with the "office-speak" brush.

It's been said that there is more social commentary in science fiction than in any other form of popular writing. And the Hithchiker's Guide to The Galaxy contains an incredible amount of wisdom on the subject of the despairing workplace.

Building a successful career requires continuous forward movement. When considering whether to accept a job, you should always ask yourself: Where will this job take me? Will it lead to a better job in a few years or is it a dead-end job?

Opportunity always knocks. And adversity is the mother of opportunity. When the economic picture looks grim, there exist an increasing number of chances for generating bright new success.

Many meetings are not dialogues. They do not invite contributions. Their style discourages openness. Their structure does little to capture collective and individual opinions. Here are some practical ways to get out of the meeting rut and have meetings them matter.

We're always told to think outside the box, but often we're not thinking far enough out of it. Here are some ideas to help you expanding the boundaries of what you will allow yourself to think.